Date of Conferral

2021

Degree

Doctor of Nursing Practice (DNP)

School

Nursing

Advisor

Melissa Rouse

Abstract

The prevalence of potentially inappropriate medications (PIMs) among nursing home residents continues to be high. Researchers have demonstrated that the use of a medication screening tool identifying PIMs can improve medication safety among older adults. Screening tools, such as the Beers criteria and the Screening Tool for Older Persons’ Prescriptions (STOPP), are evidence-based guidelines that use several validated criteria to identify PIMs in older adults’ medication regimens. While the use of these tools is standard in the acute care setting, limited studies have been conducted regarding their use in the nursing home setting. The purpose of this project was to determine if an educational intervention geared toward PIMs and the use of the STOPP tool would increase the knowledge and commitment of tool use among nurses working in nursing homes. Fifteen staff nurses from a midsized urban nursing home in Texas voluntarily participated in the study. A 10-item pretest/posttest was administered. The educational intervention was guided by Knowles theory of adult learning. The average score of the pretest was 6.26 (1.22) with a range of 4 to 8. The average score of the posttest was 7.80 (1.01) with a range of 6.0 to 9.0. Using a Wilcoxon signed-rank test to estimate the data, a significant difference between the pretest and posttest was noted, indicating an increase in knowledge among the participants following the educational intervention (z = –3.16, p = 0.02). Additionally, 100% of the participants indicated they would support the use of the tool in practice. The results of this study has the potential to effect positive social change by addressing medication challenges among older adults in long-term care facilities by reducing adverse drug effects and improving quality of life.

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